Amph. A man must have an amph. I've heard great modelers out front and in recordings. From the listener's perspective it's great, but not so much for the player. The testosterone jolt that comes from playing sort of loud is part of the performance. We men need that in order to rock out. Otherwise, it's kind of like "polite rock". What's the point of that?

Like the guys said, it's the mids that help you cut through. Modelers are often utilized at an audiophile type level and guitar is supposed to be gritty and dirty, slinky and in your face.

I know plenty of folks that use both modeler and amph, Lincoln Brewster for example runs direct to the mains with a modeler, but also sends a signal to an amph on stage. Great tone out front and a satisfying push of air on the stage. Granted he plays some very large halls and we don't. Take that into consideration. A good small amph can really rock a small hall or room. Moving air is very satisfying.